AAP video shows BJP poaching MLAs; BJP rubbishes it

The AAP Monday released a video which showed some BJP leaders allegedly offering a plum post and money to its legislator in a bid to form the government in Delhi. The BJP, however, rubbished the video.

Accusing the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of indulging in horse trading, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) chief Arvind Kejriwal said that he won’t allow the party to form a government in Delhi using deceitful tactics.

“The BJP has been wooing our MLAs for the last one month but we will not let them come to power… They are betraying the people of Delhi,” Kejriwal said.

Delhi has been under President’s rule since Kejriwal resigned as chief minister Feb 14 after just 49 days in office. The BJP won 31 seats in the 70-member house but now has 28 legislators after three were elected to the Lok Sabha in the general elections held April-May.

The video purportedly shows Delhi BJP vice president Sher Singh Dagar promising a plum post and money to AAP legislator Dinesh Mohaniya if he resigned from the assembly.

“Our MLAs are being offered chairmanships, ministerial berths and money but none of them will defect,” said Kejriwal, adding that there were more such videos that would be released at an appropriate time.

The state unit of the BJP criticised the video as well as the AAP and called it an attempt to defame the party.

“They (AAP) have been doing this for long now. Earlier they made allegations against (BJP leader and Union Minister) Nitin Gadkari and later aplogised and now again they are attacking us. This is an attempt to defame the party,” BJP leader Vijender Gupta said.

“Though, I have not seen the video but even if Dagar interacted with the (AAP) MLA, it was in his personal capacity and not as a leader of the BJP,” he added.

Releasing the video at a a press conference here, Arvind Kejriwal said: “The dirty game of the BJP is exposed today.”

Fellow party leader, Manish Sisodia said that the video would be submitted in the Supreme Court and a formal complaint against the BJP would be lodged with the Election Commission as well.